February 2, 2012 2:39am ESTFebruary 1, 2012 4:35pm ESTJoel Przybilla isn’t the sexiest name in the NBA, but the Heat and Bulls, the top two teams in the East, are battling to sign him. What other free agents are on teams’ radars?

Turns out, the competition between the Bulls and the Heat goes beyond the three times the two teams will meet on the court this season, the first of which took place in a rough-and-tumble Heat win on Sunday. It goes, too, beyond the possible meeting of the teams in the Eastern Conference finals. For now, the most important head-to-head battle the Bulls and Heat are waging involves a 32-year old center with 11 years under his belt—free agent center Joel Przybilla.

One of the remnants of the odd and compressed offseason that followed the lockout is the list of remaining free agents, which, considering we are past the quarter mark of the season, still has some fairly talented players on it. But for a variety of reasons, they will be joining the party a little late.

MORE NBA COVERAGE

Start with Przybilla. For the last few months, he has been working out and spending time at his home near Milwaukee doing the kind of family things with his wife and son—going trick-or-treating, having Thanksgiving dinner, opening Christmas presents—that most NBA players can’t do till they retire. Przybilla is fully recovered from a string of knee injuries that limited him to 66 games over the previous two seasons.

But he’s ready to take the court again and, when healthy, Przybilla is a top shot blocker and solid rebounder. On Wednesday, his agent, Bill Duffy, told Sporting News that he expects Przybilla to choose between the Heat and Bulls “by the end of the week. He is ready to go, and eager to get started.” Przybilla had been considered by a number of teams, including the Bucks, Blazers, Mavericks and Celtics, but he has narrowed his choice down to two. Duffy said that Chicago’s proximity to his family in Wisconsin “will have no effect” on his choice.

Signing Przybilla could be a huge boost to a Bulls frontcourt that has Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson playing with ankle injuries. Or it could be a huge boost to a Heat frontcourt that starts undersize Joel Anthony at center and has the likes of Eddy Curry, Dexter Pittman and Juwan Howard backing him up. The added bonus, of course, is that whichever team signs Przybilla will also keep him off the roster of its biggest in-conference rival.

Przybilla is not the only free agent still on the market, though. A handful of other players could yet make an impact on this season:

Kenyon Martin. Like Przybilla, Martin, who signed on to play in China during the lockout, could be a central figure in a burgeoning rivalry, this one between the Clippers and the Lakers. Both teams have gaps in their frontcourt depth and intend to pursue Martin when he is free of his Chinese contract on February 16—though that date could be pushed back if his team earns a spot in the playoffs. The Heat also could push for Martin, if they do not land Przybilla. The Hawks, Knicks, Spurs and Celtics are said to have interest in Martin, too, but are not considered frontrunners. Yahoo! Sports reports that Martin should make his decision by this weekend.

Wilson Chandler. Chandler is a restricted free agent who also has been playing in China, and when he returns, the Nuggets can match any offer made to him. But Denver made big commitments in the past two months to Nene, Danilo Gallinari and Arron Afflalo, while also adding reserve guard Rudy Fernandez. The team also likes rookie Jordan Hamilton’s potential, which means neither the payroll nor the roster has much room for Chandler. Hoopsworld.com reported that the Raptors could make a significant offer for Chandler, and the Nuggets would either let him go or work out a sign-and-trade.

J.R. Smith. Smith—another Nugget playing in China—is an outstanding shooter, but maturity issues have gotten in the way of his development over the years, and he is, for many teams, not worth the trouble. His perimeter shooting would make him an ideal fit for the Knicks, and if anyone does take a gamble on him, it is likely to be New York.

Gilbert Arenas. Lakers coach Mike Brown has acknowledged, but downplayed, the team’s interest in Arenas, telling reporters, “It’s really just conversation. We’ve had conversation about a lot of players.” Still, the Lakers bench needs a boost—whether that can come from Arenas’ oft-injured knees is questionable, though. Arenas was cut by the Magic through the amnesty clause before the season, having played just 117 games in the last four years because of injuries and off-court issues. He shot just 36.6 percent from the field last year.